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Clark Flatt is a heart-broken dad who says he doesn't ever want another parent to go through what he has. His son Jason, was an active, popular, healthy 16 year old -- or so he thought -- when his son took his own life.
Now, Clark Flatt devotes himself to alerting others --specifically peers, and teachers -- to the warning signs. Later this morning, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Utah first Lady Mark Kaye Huntsman will be launching a new school-based program researched by the Jason Foundation -- now, a national movement to get school communitites to ask the right questions -- and pick up on signs of depression or anxiety. Listen to these numbers in Utah. The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey finds one in four 9th through 12th graders in Utah reports feeling sad or hopeless for a period of at least two weeks. 1 in 6, roughly, reports having seriously considered suicide. 1 in 8, has made a plan at one point to take their own life...and 1 in 13 Utah teens, grade 9-12, reports actually having attempted suicide. Think of your child's peer group, that's 1 in every 13 kids who's not just thought about it, but attemped suicide.
Now a new Salt Lake office for teen suicide prevention is based on the Jason Foundation principles. It is all, privately funded, no taxpayer money being used, you'll see it show up in school curriculums and awareness campaigns. Jason's father, Clark, is here from Tennessee for the event. He says, 'Parents..you never think it's going to happen to you'...and he says one simple conversation, one person intervening, caring to ask questions, can stop a tragic situation from happening.
